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got to say im getting sick of all this, the sports a luaghingstock
got to say im getting sick of all this, the sports a luaghingstock
oh how innocence is priceless.....
"All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.
"All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.
Is it just me, or is the above just a different wording of the spending cap that was supposed to be going away? Is this another case of Mosely agreeing to something, changing it after the fact and then claiming the teams have changed their minds?
"All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.
Is it just me, or is the above just a different wording of the spending cap that was supposed to be going away? Is this another case of Mosely agreeing to something, changing it after the fact and then claiming the teams have changed their minds?
No, that is what was agreed; it doesn't refer to a specific amount; just that spending would be cut to early 90s levels by 2011.
It seems to me that FOTA isn't happy because they haven't got their own way; I'm betting they thought they had a monopoly on making rule changes and now that they don't have it all their own way they are throwing their toys out of their prams again! It's only fair that all teams have to agree unanimously for changes to happen!
The eight members of the Formula 1 Teams Association (Fota) walked out of a meeting with the sport's governing body, the FIA, on Wednesday.
The meeting, at Germany's Nurburgring, was held to discuss next year's rules and Fota's proposed changes to them.
But the Fota teams left when told they had not entered the 2010 championship and therefore had no voting rights on technical and sporting regulations.
A Fota statement said the row "puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy".
It is the latest incident in a bitter, long-running argument between Fota and the FIA over planned budgetary and technical changes which has threatened to tear the sport apart.
The eight Fota teams - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP - insist they have entered the 2010 championship.
"It will be remembered all eight active Fota members were included on the 'accepted' entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on 24 June," said Fota.
The association added that because it was now being claimed they had not entered, they had "requested a postponement of today's meetings".
Fota continued: "This was rejected on the grounds no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.
"However, it is clear to the Fota teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.
"As endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June 'the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April, 2009'.
"At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed.
"To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy.
"As a result of these statements, the Fota representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.
"The Fota members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula 1."
The FIA insisted in a statement of its own that it had wanted to discuss proposals for 2010.
The FIA added: "Unfortunately, no discussion was possible because Fota walked out of the meeting."
The long-running row between Fota and the FIA appeared to have been resolved in June, when an agreement was reached between F1's governing body and the Fota teams to prevent a breakaway series.
Under the terms of that deal a proposed budget cap was postponed and the teams won significant concessions on rule changes and the governance of the sport, while Max Mosley agreed not to stand for re-election as president of the FIA.
Wednesday's truncated meeting was attended by Williams and Force India, who are suspended from Fota after applying for unconditional entries to race in 2010 at the height of the budget cap crisis.
Formula 1's three new teams, Campos Grand Prix, Manor and US F1, also attended the meeting at the Nurburgring ahead of Sunday's German Grand Prix.
The FIA are crossing the line, its almost like they dont want the 8 teams to enter
billindenver: No numbers were actually agreed, the agreement was to reduce costs to early 1990s levels. I can't see why a legally binding contract can't be signed to that affect. FOTA will just have to look at spending of teams back in say 1992 and adjust spending accordingly without employing a hard cap, as long as they are there or thereabouts!
I'm no legal expert but I can't see any logical reason why absolute numbers are required be legally binding!
billindenver: No numbers were actually agreed, the agreement was to reduce costs to early 1990s levels. I can't see why a legally binding contract can't be signed to that affect. FOTA will just have to look at spending of teams back in say 1992 and adjust spending accordingly without employing a hard cap, as long as they are there or thereabouts!
I'm no legal expert but I can't see any logical reason why absolute numbers are required be legally binding!
From what I understand, The Williams championship winning team of 1992 were supposed to have spent £40m (which seems to be a logical figure to aim for as they won the WDC on that money). Which is the same amount as what Mosley was proposing anyway in the budget cap. But the FOTA teams didn't want that cap so why would they agree to a hard cap to that figure? Both FOTA and the FIA statements said the same thing in that regard! So if they don't want a hard cap of £40 then it must have been a floating cap around the £40m mark with a discretionary margin of maybe 10%. As I said I am no legal expert and really have no interest in being one but thinking from a point of pure logic, that's what has been agreed given the opposing sides stance! We don't really know what the exact content of the agreement was but FOTA seems to be happy with that with the proviso that Mosley didn't stand for a fifth term. The bigger issue isn't a budget cap, it's about power; certain members of FOTA as just as power mad as Mosley IMHO!
I hope they dont enter. Mosely word means nothing and whatever they sign up to he will change at random. He wont resign and if he does he'll have a puppet take over. Best they can do is get out and move on . Leave the nonsense behind and run a propr series without the crap.
- By darwin daliYeah, not very active here, unfortunately. Is it […]
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